If there is no expectation of privacy, then there is no expectation of free speech. Snowden attempted to bring this discussion to the forefront of society. Unfortunately, some of the largest participants in these conversations are corporate and government entities with very specific ideas about that which they wish to accomplish. Sadly, those larger voices overpowered those that had a different opinion or flatly objected forcing them to retreat to the shadows or disappear entirely.

In Upstate New York State the minimum wage in $8.25 per hour, and x12 is $99 per hour or $205,920 per year based on a 40-hour work week. In theory, that is the same amount for the CEO of a super-regional bank as we as the POS community bank across the street. Same for the CEO of the auto parts store versus the CEO of Ford. How does one differentiate between a CEO managing 100 billion versus 1 billion? Or 1.8 trillion versus 1 billion. Don’t tell me it’s the market because setting the maximum pay at x12 removes the market, IMHO. I think you’d get better results by modernizing the corporate code. That is, stop treating people, executives and their boards, as untouchable unless they steal from the till. Make people responsible for more than profits and I maybe you’d have your answer.

I was in the exact same position a few years ago. I was 37, balding, and going grey fast with 3 years of a computer science degree from the early 90s. I know what I did was rare, and it sure as hell wasn't easy, but I went back and got a degree in finance. It wasn't my original intent, but it's where I ended up. I was hired by a tier 1 mobile carrier as a project manager in January, and I graduated this May Cum Laude. The reason I was hired was my 20 years of experience in IT. The degree got me in the door. Give yourself some credit. Being old(er) is a good thing when it compares to a lot of kids coming out today. I know...easier said than done.

...do we ignore the first law of thermodynamics? If these batteries charge 1,000 times faster then they must put off 1,000 times the heat or so one would think under the law. Further, the largest collection of Lithium is sea water, but it is very inefficient to harvest existing at the ppm level.